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LAWYER 


A    NEW    SYSTEM 


PHONOGRAPHY 


J.    S.   VERITY. 


J'irtiic  is  its  own  reward  and  1'ice  its  own  punishment. 


BOSTON: 

PRESS   OF   ROCKWELL   AND   CHURCHILL,    39   ARCH    STREET. 
1885. 


"Phonography  is  a  railroad  method  of  communicating  thought:  a 
railroad  by  reason  of  its  expedition;  a  railroad  by  reason  of  its  ease." 
—  DR.  RAFI-I.KS. 


"  Since  brevity  is  the  soul  of  wit,  and  tediousness  the  limbs  and  out- 
ward flourishes,  I  will  be  brief."  —  SIIAKKSPKAKI.. 


"Let  the  system  of  written  signs  be  reduced  to  a  brevity,  corre- 
sponding to  that  of  spoken  sound,  and  there  is  no  reason  why  the  hand 
should  not  be  able  to  keep  up  with  the  voice,  and  a  man  write  as  fast 
as  he  can  speak.  And  this  is  what  Phonography  claims  to  do.  It 
claims  to  have  analyzed  our  language  into  its  elementary  sounds,  and 
to  have  invented  a  mark  or  character  for  each  sound.  The  character 
is  so  brief  and  simple  that  the  hand  can  make  it  as  easily  and  rapidly 
as  the  voice  can  utter  it;  and  thus  the  labor  of  writing  and  the  expense 
of  writing  materials  are  reduced  many  fold." —  HUKACI:  MANN. 


EDITOR'S    NOTE. 


JOHN  SHOWLER  VERITY  was  born  in  Lancashire,  Eng- 
land, on  the  3ist  of  July,  1822.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1853,  and  soon  settled  in  Manchester,  N.  H., 
where  he  resided  for  some  years.  Thence  he  removed 
to  Cambridgeport,  Mass.,  and  later  to  Lynn,  in  which 
2J  citv  he  died  on  the  loth  of  February,  1885.  Mr.  Verity 

W 

•*    was  well-known  as  an   earnest   student  of  many  of  the 
ec    great   problems    of  the   age,    and   a    somewhat    detailed 
§3    record    of    his    life    and    labors    will    be    found    in    "In 
Memoriam.     John  S.  Verity.     Boston,   1885." 

Mr.  Verity   early  learned  Pitman's  Phonography,  and 
c*> 

r    used  it  to  some  extent.     He  became  much   interested  in 

it 

z   shorthand,   studied  thoroughly  the  principles  underlying 

the  art-science,  and  made  many  experiments  with  a  view 

to   embodying   his    theories    in   a    practical    system.     In 

?J    1875  he  copyrighted  a  method  of  his  own  invention,  and 

j>    in   1880  published  a  four-page  exposition  of  his  system 

as    afterwards    improved    and    modified.      Not   satisfied, 

however,  with  his  previous  efforts  Mr.  Verity  continued 

his  experiments  still  further,  and  devised  the  system  set 

forth    in    these  pages.     The  plates    for  this   work  were 

engraved  and  a  portion  of  the  manuscript  was  placed   in 

448469 


4  EDI  TOR'S  NOTE. 

the    hands  of   a    printer   in   Lynn,   when   its    publication 
was  prevented   l>y   the  sudden  death  of  the  author. 

The  editor  lias  followed  closely  the  text  of  the  volume 
as  prepared  by  Mr.  Verity,  and  has  endeavored  to  make 
the  book  as  printed  conform  to  the  author's  wishes  in  even 
respect,  wherever  his  desires  or  intentions  were  known. 

J.  E.  R. 


PREFACE. 


SHORTHAND  writing  is  a  very  useful  and  important 
invention,  and  in  its  phonetic  character  is  far  sim- 
pler and  easier  to  learn  than  longhand  ;  and  because  of 
its  simplicity  and  usefulness  it  certainly  ought  to  be 
more  generally  understood  and  practised  4han  it  is  at 
the  present  day ;  for  we  boast  that  we  are  living  in 
an  enlightened  and  progressive  age,  —  in  an  age  of  free 
and  untrammelled  thought,  —  in  an  age  of  inventions  in 
every  department  of  thought  and  industry,  —  in  an  age 
when  everybody  wants  to  move  rapidly,  —  in  an  age 
of  railways,  telegraphs,  telephones,  electricity,  etc.  If 
this  be  true,  we  surely  cannot  expect  tu.it  the  people 
will  much  longer  be  satisfied  with  writing  by  the  old 
slow  and  tedious  method  of  longhand,  when  there  are 
so  many  new  shorthand  systems  in  the  field,  any  one 
of  which  must  be  infinitely  quicker,  easier,  and  better 
than  longhand. 

The  usefulness  and  importance  of  shorthand  must 
be  apparent  to  all,  for  we  all  know  that  it  is  by 
means  of  shorthand  that  we  obtain  verbatim  reports 
of  lectures,  sermons,  debates,  of  trials  in  our  courts, 
and  speeches  in  congresses,  senates,  and  parliaments.  It 


r,  PR  F.  FACE. 

is  also    useful    in    a    thousand    less   public  ways  which 
are  too  numerous  to  mention. 

It  is  also  useful  and  important  as  a  means  of  edu- 
cation, not  merely  in  giving  men  an  opportunity  of 
collecting  facts  and  of  gaining  general  information, 
but  in  its  being  the  equal  of  school  or  college  as  a 
medium  of  mental  and  intellectual  training. 

But  the  great  merit  of  shorthand  is  its  brevity,  its 
adaptability  to  enable  men  to  write  almost  as  fast  as 
they  can  speak.  This  is  shorthand's  great  merit  and 
worth,  and  those  who  understand  it  appreciate  and 
admire  it  on  this  account. 

This  brings  me  more  directly  to  my  subject,  which 
is  to  offer  a  few  words  in  explanation  and  support  of 
my  new  svstem  of  Phonograph v. 

In  the  first  place  I  wish  to  say  that  my  alphabet  is 
here  in  response  to  a  long-felt  want  for  something 
easier  to  read  and  write  than  Pitman's  system  of  Pho- 
nography. But  whether  my  system  is  what  is  needed 
remains  to  be  proved.  I  may  be  mistaken  about  the 
matter.  To  err  is  human.  I  know  that  all  changes 
are  not  necessarily  improvements  ;  I  also  know  that  it 
is  easy  to  be  mistaken.  I  do  not  claim  that  my  s\  s- 
tem  is  perfect.  I  know  it  has  faults ;  yet,  compared 
with  some  others,  it  certainly  has  some  decided  merits. 

The  following  are  the  advantages  which  I  claim  for 
in  v  system  :  — 

First. —  Those  letters  which  occur  the-  most  frequently 
have  the  best  forms  for  writing. 


PREFACE.  ~ 

Second.  —  All  double  letters,  such  as  Pr,  PI,  etc., 
when  written  in  the  middle  of  words,  are  written  with 
the  aid  of  a  hook  at  the  end  of  the  next  preceding  letter ; 
or,  if  the  hooks  at  the  beginning  of  words  are  retained 
and  used  in  the  middle  of  words,  T  or  D  is  added  to  the 
double  letter. 

Third.  —  Every  syllable  that  is  sounded  can  be 
written  without  taking  oft"  the  pen. 

Fourth,  and  lastly.  —  All  the  letters  of  my  alphabet 
move  on  a  straight  line  in  writing  from  the  left  to  the 
right  hand  ;  and  the  letters  are  so  formed  as  to  easily 
join  or  connect  with  each  other,  as  they  do  in  longhand. 

And  this  arrangement  of  the  letters  of  my  alphabet  is 
about  all  the  advantage  I  claim  for  my  system  ;  but  this, 
I  feel  confident,  is  so  great  an  advantage  that  it  will 
make  all  the  difference  between  failure  and  success  to 
many  students  of  Phonography.  And  you  will  pardon 
me  for  claiming  this  as  a  marked  improvement  on 
Pitman's  alphabet. 

Notwithstanding  what  I  have  just  said  about  improv- 
ing on  Pitman's  alphabet.  I  am  well  aware  of  the  fact 
that  nearly  all  of  our  phonographic  authors  are  repro- 
ducing Pitman's  alphabet,  and  telling  the  public  that  it 
is  perfect.  I  quote  the  following  extract  to  that  effect 
from  "  Munson's  Dictionary  of  Practical  Phonography." 
He  says:  "  It  is  a  singular  fact  that  in  the  development 
of  Phonography,  its  changes  and  improvements,  fancied 
or  real,  from  the  very  start,  with  a  few  slight  exceptions, 
which  have  not  affected  the  alphabet  proper,  with  the 


8  PKKFA  CE. 

exceptions  of  the  signs  for  the  letters  w,  y,  and  h,  the 
Stenographic  alphabets  of  all  writers  on  Phonography 
have  always  been  and  still  are  precisely  the  same  as 
Isaac  Pitman  published  thirty-four  years  ago." 

Well,  readers,  all  I  can  say  in  reply  to  these  authors 
is,  that  after  years  of  thought  and  investigation  of  this 
subject  I  cannot  agree  with  them.  And  yet,  notwith- 
standing my  difference  of  opinion  on  this  matter,  I  hope 
I  possess  a  proper  feeling  of  reverence  and  respect  for 
the  authority  of  great  teachers  like  Mr.  Isaac  Pitman, 
the  originator  and  founder  of  Phonography.  In  my  own 
defence  I  must  say  that  after  years  of  study  of  Pitman's 
Phonography  I  could  not  help  thinking  that  it  might  be 
improved.  And,  with  this  feeling  and  thought,  I  de- 
termined to  try,  and,  if  possible,  make  it  easier  to  write 
Phonography.  But,  as  I  have  previously  said,  whether 
I  have  done  so  or  not  remains  to  be  proved. 

In  conclusion  I  will  say  that  I  have  been  very  free  in 
making  selections.  I  have  taken  them  from  all  sources 
that  seemed  to  help  to  illustrate  my  subject. 

As  I  was  unacquainted  with  any  shorthand  but  Pit- 
man's, I  have  said  nothing  about  them  ;  yet  I  will  here 
say,  from  what  I  have  seen  of  Tachygraphy,  that  I  think 
Mr.  Lindsley  has  improved  on  Pitman's  alphabet  by 
changing  the  letters  K  and  G  from  the  horizontal  posi- 
tion and  giving  that  easy  position  to  T  and  D,  simply 
because  T  and  D  occur  the  most  frequently  in  writing. 
He  has  also  improved  on  Pitman  in  joining  the  vowel 
signs  to  the  outline  without  taking  oft'  the  pen. 


GENERAL    STATEMENT     OF    THE    AD- 
VANTAGES  OF    PHONOGRAPHY. 


"  The  usefulness  of  shorthand,"  says  Dr.  Johnson, 
"  is  not  confined  to  any  particular  science  or  profession, 
but  is  universal." 

Phonography,  or  phonetic  shorthand,  is  a  philo- 
sophical system  of  rapid  writing,  which,  from  employing 
the  simplest  geometrical  signs  for  the  representation  of 
the  sounds  rather  than  the  letters  of  the  English  lan- 
guage, combines  the  greatest  speed  and  the  most  perfect 
legibility  with  the  nicest  representation  of  the  sounds 
of  speech.  For  these  reasons  it  has  entirely  out- 
stripped every  other  system  of  shorthand,  being  prac- 
tised and  read  by  so  many  persons,  in  all  professions, 
in  England  and  America  that  it  bids  fair  to  become 
general  in  a  very  few  years. 

Upon  each  individual  who  learns  it,  Phonography 
confers,  doubtless,  some  advantage  peculiarly  adapted 
to  his  individual  circumstances.  Upon  the  reporter  it 
confers  the  power  of  taking  the  exact  words  of  a 
speaker,  even  at  the  rate  of  200  or  250  words  per  minute. 
It  enables  the  student  of  a  foreign  language  to  visualize 
its  pronunciation,  —  to  put  down  on  paper,  as  it  were, 


10  -/    XEIV  SYSTEM    OF  PHONOGRAPHY. 

the  voice  of  his  teacher.  To  him  who  aims  to  be  a 
public  speaker  it  is  of  inestimable  value,  on  account  of 
its  turning  his  attention  to  pronunciation.  Phonogra- 
phers  are  said  to  pronounce  the  English  language  better 
than  any  other  class  of  persons.  To  the  clergyman  it 
is  of  peculiar  value,  as  it  enables  his  pen  to  keep  pace 
with  his  powers  of  composition,  and  saves  him  five-sixths 
of  the  manual  labor  required  in  the  use  of  the  common 
longhand.  It  is  exceedingly  serviceable  to  the  lawver 
in  taking  notes  of  testimony,  decisions,  and  rulings  of  a 
court,  and  in  rough-sketching  business  papers,  agree- 
ments, etc.  The  principal  of  a  commercial  establish- 
ment may  conduct  the  largest  correspondence  in  a 
fraction  of  the  time  ordinarily  required,  thus  saving 
much  time  and  energy  for  other  important  duties, 
by  dictating  his  letters,  even  with  the  rapidity  of 
speech,  to  a  competent  phonographer,  who  would 
afterward  write  them  out  and  prepare  them  for  the  mail. 
Ministers  who  use  Phonography  claim  that  thev  can 
read  it  better  than  longhand,  and  with  more  of  the  free- 
dom of  extemporaneous  delivery.  Authors  W7hose  "  liv- 
ing flocks  of  thoughts  trudge  it  slowly  and  wearily  down 
the  pen  and  along  the  paper,  hindering  each  other  as 
they  struggle  through  the  strait  gate  of  the  old  hand- 
writing,"—  whose  "kind  and  loving  thoughts,  warm 
and  transparent,  liquid,  as  melted  from  the  hot  heart," 
now  "grow  opaque,  and  freeze  with  a  tedious  dribbling 
from  the  pen,"  cannot  fail  to  duly  appreciate  Phonog- 
raphy, which  enables  them  to  write  at  "  breathing 


ADVANTAGES   OF  PHONOGRAPHY.  11 

ease."  The  time  is  not  distant  when  every  author  that 
can  afford  it  will  employ  his  phonographic  amanuensis 
and  talk,  instead  of  writing,  to  the  world.  The  Rev. 
Dr.  Raffles,  of  Liverpool,  says:  "Phonograph}*  is  a 
railroad  method  of  communicating  thought ;  a  railroad 
by  reason  of  its  expedition  ;  a  railroad  by  reasons  of 
its  ease." 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  speak  of  the  peculiar  advan- 
tages since  the  bare  mention  of  the  name  of  shorthand 
is  sufficient  to  suggest  many  even  in  addition  to  those 
general  benefits  which  it  bestows  upon  all,  in  corre- 
spondence, in  writing  literary  compositions,  in  keeping  a 
diary,  in  book-keeping,  in  copying  letters,  in  making 
memoranda,  in  sketching  lectures  and  sermons,  in 
making  abstracts  of  and  quotations  from  books  read. 
For  these  and  all  other  purposes  for  which  writing  is 
available,  it  requires  but  a  tithe  of  the  time,  labor,  and 
space  needed  in  the  use  of  longhand.  —  Phonography 
and  its  Uses,  1857. 


THE  ALPHABET. 


A     v» 


D_  E  v 


T 


W 


00 


I  v 


L   ^ 


DOUBLE  LETTERS  AND  WORD   SIGNS. 


TR    A  TLA  FR  c_-  FL 


KR    ^  KL«-^>  PR  c —  PL 


CHR  ^  CHL  s.  RL  ^  LR 


NR   c — -N  MR  * — -  NL  c ML 


FN  ^ *  PN  c BN 


RT  U  LT  V  KT   r»  F  T  f\ 


TN    c_  THL   ^  ING  «  COMEc 


MT  K  BT  K  MAN  c—  CAN 


YOU/)  HEK  SHE/J 


HOW  0  WHV7  I  V  THAT  V 


AND   U  -       THE  ^  _  AS 


DIRECTIONS    FOR    LEARNERS. 


First.  — Be  sure  to  spell  according  to  sound,  and  not 
according  to  English  orthography. 

Second.  —  Letters  are  connected  together  as  in  long- 
hand to  form  words,  with  the  exception  of  the  difference 
in  the  method  of  spelling. 

Third.  —  Commit  to  memory  the  letters  of  the  alpha- 
bet, the  double  letters,  and  the  word-signs. 

Fourth.  —  When  you  have  done  this  thoroughly  then 
begin  and  write  and  rewrite  them,  until  you  can  write 
them  correctly  and  read  them  readily.  When  you 
have  done  this  you  are  phonographers,  and  you  can  now 
begin  and  write  what  you  please. 

Fifth.  —  Punctuate  as  in  longhand,  with  the  exception 
of  the  dash,  which  may  be  written  by  a  perpendicular 
line. 


ON   OUR  STYLES   OF   WRITING. 


We  have  two  methods  of  writing  :  we  call  them  the 
corresponding  and  the  reporting  styles. 

The  first  is  the  corresponding  style.  It  consists  in 
writing  every  sound  that  is  spoken,  and  writing  each 
word  separate  and  distinct  from  every  other. 

The  second  I  call  my  reporting  style.  It  differs  from 
the  other  only  in  writing  two,  three,  four,  or  more  words 
together,  without  taking  off  the  pen  ;  this  method  of 
writing  is  called  phraseography,  or  phrase-writing,  an 
example  of  which  may  be  seen  on  the  title-page  of  this 
volume. 

I  quote  the  following  from  Isaac  Pitman  on  phrase- 
writing.  In  his  "  Phonography  Adapted  to  Verbatim 
Reporting,"  page  8,  Mr.  Pitman  says:  "The  whole 
secret  of  reporting  may  be  said  to  consist  in  two  words, — 
practice  and  the  use  of  phraseography.  The  student 
must  himself  give  the  first  requisite,  and  we  have  here 
furnished  the  most  efficient  help  for  the  second." 

One  word  on  how  to  know  which  words  to  connect 
together,  and  then  be  able  to  read  them  afterwards.  One 
rule  I  have  found  is  to  select  word-signs ;  vou  will  find 
them  at  the  bottom  of  the  page  of  double  letters.  It  is 
said  that  one  hundred  of  such  words  occupy  about  one- 
half  of  any  discourse. 


SOME  PECULIARITIES  OF  OUR  SYSTEM. 


First,  \ve  have  three  sizes  of  letters ;  namely,  the 
short,  the  medium,  and  the  long  letters. 

The  lengths  of  the  letters  are  nearly  as  follows  :  — The 
short  letters  are  a  little  over  -fa  of  an  inch  long ;  the  me- 
dium letters  arc  T3ff  of  an  inch  long;  and  the  long  letters 
are  -^  of  an  inch  long. 

SHUN. 

A  hook  at  the  end  of  medium  and  long-sized  letters  is 
shun,  except  at  the  end  and  on  the  upper  side  of  hori- 
zontal letters.  Then  it  is  T  or  D. 

T  OR  D. 

T  or  D  is  added  to  words  by  connecting  the  double 
letters  Kt,  Ft,  Rt,  Lt,  Nt,  Mt,  etc.,  instead  of  shortening 
the  letters,  as  in  Pitman's  system. 

INITIAL  AND  FINAL  VOWELS. 

In  writing  words  beginning  or  ending  with  vowels, 
the  vowel  is  expressed  by  a  little  short  stroke,  to  be  writ- 
ten light  for  A  or  E,  and  heavy  for  O  or  AU,  and  placed 
at  a  convenient  angle  from  the  consonants. 


SOME  OF  THE   IRREGULARITIES  IN 
OUR  SYSTEM. 


The  word  "and"  and  the  word  "the"  have  two 
signs  each. 

The  letter  A  in  the  middle  of  some  words  stands 
for  T. 

The  word-sign  "we,"  in  the  middle  of  words,  is 
"sh,"  and  at  the  end  of  words  "  ing." 

Kr  and  Kl,  Pr  and  PI,  are  written  in  the  medium 
position,  because  it  is  easier  to  write  medium-sized  than 
long-sized  letters. 


OUR  DOUBLE-LETTER  SIGNS. 


We  only  use  half  the  number  of  the  double-letter 
signs  that  Phonography,  or  writing  strictly  by  sound, 
requires.  We  do  this  by  making  one  sign  represent 
two  sounds,  as  in  the  following  double  letters.  We 
write  the  same  sign  for  Pr  and  Br  —  PI  and  Bl  —  Tr 
and  Dr  — Tl  and  Dl,  etc. 

We  do  this  for  the  following  reasons :  — 

First.  —  Because  of  the  scarcity  of  forms  suitable  for 
double  letters. 

Second.  —  Because  after  trial  it  seems  easy  enough  to 
read  words  written  in  this  way. 

Third. — Because  we  are  assured  by  even  such  high 
authority  as  A.  J.  Graham,  in  his  "  Handbook  of  Stand- 
ard, or  American  Phonography,"  on  page  38,  "  that 
such  is  the  similarity  between  the  sounds  represented  by 
light  and  heavy  lines,  that,  if  the  signs  of  cognate 
sounds  were  to  be  interchanged  by  accident,  but  little 
difficulty  would  be  experienced  in  arriving  at  the  word 
intended  to  be  written." 


THE  ADVANTAGES  OF  OUR   SYSTEM. 


The  advantages  of  our  system  are  as  follows  :  — 
First.  — Those  letters  that  occur  the  most  frequently 
have  the  easiest  forms  for  writing. 

Second.  —  All  double  letters,  such  as  Pr,  PI,  etc., 
used  in  the  middle  of  words,  are  written  with  the  aid  of 
a  hook  at  the  end  of  the  next  preceding  letter,  thus  — 

PROPER      <— •*.  _  BAKER         m±~^ 

A  hook  at  the  beginning  of  letters  written  in  the 
middle  of  words  adds  T  or  D  to  the  letter. 

Third.  —  Every  syllable  that  is  sounded  can  be  writ- 
ten without  taking  oft"  the  pen. 

fourth. — All  the  letters  of  my  alphabet  move  on  a 
straight  line  from  the  left  to  the  right  hand,  and  are 
so  formed  as  to  easily  join  or  connect  with  each  other, 
as  they  do  in  longhand. 


DECLARATION    OF    INDEPENDENCE. 


x- — v.       —  N^X-  ^^ 

When,          in  the         course         of         human  events, 


becomes  necessary  for  one  people 


to           dissolve         the         political         bands  which          have 

connected         them         with         another,        and  to         assume, 

among        the        powers        of       the        earth,  the        separate 

and             equal            station            to            which  the            laws 

of         Nature           and         Nature's           God  entitle         them, 

a            decent           respect           to           the  opinions           of 
mankind           requires           that           they           should           declare 


the       causes       which       impel       then)       to       the       separation. 


DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE.  21 

We         hold         these         truths         to          be         self-evident  : 

that  all  men  are  created  equal  ; 

that        they        are        endowed        by        their        Creator        with 


?  V 

certain         inalienable  rights  ;  that  among  these 

are        life,        liberty,        and       the        pursuit      of       happiness. 
That         to         secure        these         rights,         governments        are 


powers         from  the  consent  of         the         governed ; 

that,       whenever  any  form       of  government        becomes 

destructive        of  these  ends,        it  is        the        right        of 

the             people  to             alter  or  abolish            it. 


NOTE. 


Since  taking  my  Phonography  to  press,  I  have  read  a 
severe  criticism  in  the  November  (1884)  number  of  the 
44  Shorthand  Writer  and  Takigrafer"  on  writing  differ- 
ent-sized letters  in  the  phonographic  alphabet.  Seeing 
that  that  criticism  condemns  my  alphabet,  I  thought 
I  would  try  and  oiler  a  word  or  two  in  its  defence. 

In  the  first  place  I  will  admit  that  to  have  only  out- 
size of  letters  is  the  best  plan.  But  let  me  sav  here  that 
it  would  be  still  better  to  have  only  light  characters, 
because  it  is  harder  to  write  heavy  characters  than  light 
ones.  To  this  it  will  be  replied  that  that  is  impracti- 
cable. Well,  I  say  the  same  thing  in  regard  to  having 
only  one  size  of  good  letters.  A  good  many  years  ago 
Pitman  established  the  practice  of  writing  three  sixes  of 
shorthand  characters.  He  had  the  short  size  for  ye, 
we,  and  the  long  size  for  father,  mother,  rather,  etc. 
Let  me  say  for  myself,  that,  after  years  of  trial  and  ex- 
periment, I  have  found  that  the  small-size  characters  are 
very  quickly  written.  And  I  call  them  good,  almost  as 
good  as  the  medium  sized  letters.  But  with  regard  to 
the  long-sized  letters,  I  can  only  say  that  I  despise  them, 
—  it  takes  so  long  to  write  them.  I  have  only  got  one 
letter  that  is  frequently  used  in  the  long  position  ;  that 
is  the  letter  K. 


EXTRACTS. 


THE  new  system  of  phonetic  shorthand,  which  we 
have  partially  developed  in  the  following  pages,  is  the 
result  of  a  protracted  effort  to  conform  the  system  of 
Mr.  Isaac  Pitman  to  the  beauty  of  its  theory.  A  few 
persons  of  peculiar  genius  have  mastered  that  system, 
and  found  its  use  of  great  service  in  all  their  literary 
pursuits.  But,  while  a  few  were  able  to  relieve  them- 
selves of  the  intolerable  drudgery  of  writing  by  its 
means,  hundreds  —  we  can  say  in  truth,  thousands  — 
were  striving  in  vain  to  make  the  old  system  practically 
useful  to  them.  We  speak  what  we  know.  Nineteen- 
twentieths  of  all  the  phonographers  we  have  ever  seen 
are  of  that  number ;  and  we  are  most  constantly  in 
receipt  of  letters  from  all  paits  of  the  country,  from 
Maine  to  California,  testifying  with  emphasis  to  the 
impracticability  of  Phonography,  and  expressing  an 
earnest  hope  that  some  system  may  be  found  that  can 
be  applied  to  the  common  uses  of  writing. 

In  making  the  letters  of  our  longhand  alphabet  we 
make  from  three  to  seven  movements  of  the  pen  for 
each,  —  on  an  average,  four.  About  one  letter  in  five 

448469 


24  EXTRACTS. 

is  silent  in  our  common  orthography.  In  phonetic 
shorthand  we  make  one  simple  stroke  for  each  simple 
sound;  this  saves  three-fourths  the  labor;  we  omit  all 
silent  letters ;  this  gives  us  a  further  advantage.  Be- 
sides, the  distance  passed  over  by  the  pen  is  vastlv  less 
in  shorthand.  We  write  this  simplest  style  three  to 
four  times  as  fast  as  longhand  ;  but  we  save  more  than 
nine-tenths  of  the  labor  .of  writing.  We  mean  that  a 
person  can  write  more  than  three  times  as  fast  with  less 
than  one-third  the  fatigue.  Though  this  speed  is  much 
less  than  that  of  our  briefer  styles,  yet  it  is  greater  than 
can  be  attained  by  the  simple  style  of  Phonography,  and 
greater  than  has  been  attained  in  the  briefest  styles  of 
most  systems  of  shorthand. — D.  P.  Lindsley  in  the 
Compendium  of  Tachygraphy,  1864. 

Robert  Real,  in  the  "Rapid  Writer,"  says  :  "After 
three  centuries  of  experiment  in  shorthand  writing  Mr. 
Isaac  Pitman,  an  Englishman,  invented  Phonography. 
We  propose  to  show  that  although  that  was  so  far 
superior  to  preceding  systems  as  to  supersede  them,  yet 
that  it  is,  for  all  ordinary  purposes,  a  total  failure.  And, 
secondly,  that  since  that  has  proved  a  failure  all  systems 
of  shorthand  must." 

We  should  much  rather  accept  the  following  by  Dr. 
Moat,  who  invented  a  system  of  shorthand  in  1833,  as  a 
true  prophecy  of  future  events:  "  There  is  no  doubt  that 
this  science  (shorthand  writing)  will  arrive  at  a  much 
higher  degree  of  perfection  ;  and  we  may  be  assured  that 
some  future  author  will  be  crowned  with  that  success 


EXTRACTS.  25 

which  will  entitle  him  to  the  deserved  appellation  of 
universal  stenographist,  whose  work  shall  be  reduced  to 
that  elegant  simplicity  which  must  characterize  its 
worth,  and  secure  its  general  adoption  and  lasting 
establishment.  When  such  a  system  shall  appear  it  will 
be  the  nation's  honor  (as  it  must  be  its  pride)  which 
gave  it  birth,  to  foster  it  with  parental  care,  and  make  it 
generally  useful  by  introducing  it  as  a  necessary  branch 
of  modern  education." 

In  early  life  Charles  Dickens  set  himself  to  the  task  of 
learning  shorthand  in  order  that  he  might  more  readily 
obtain  a  position  in  a  newspaper  office.  He  was  self- 
taught  in  the  art  of  shorthand.  He  says,  "  I  bought  an 
improved  scheme  of  the  noble  art  and  mystery  of  ste- 
nography, and  plunged  into  a  sea  of  perplexity  that 
brought  me  in  a  few  weeks  to  the  confines  of  distraction. 
The  changes  that  were  rung  upon  dots,  which  in  one  posi- 
tion meant  such  a  thing,  and  in  another  something  else 
entirely  different ;  the  wonderful  vagaries  that  were 
played  by  circles ;  the  unaccountable  consequences  that 
resulted  from  marks  like  ffy's-legs ;  the  tremendous 
effects  of  a  curve  in  the  wrong  place,  —  not  only  troubled 
my  waking  hours,  but  reappeared  before  me  in  my  sleep. 
When  I  had  groped  my  way  blindly  through  these  diffi- 
culties, and  had  mastered  the  alphabet,  which  was  an 
Egyptian  temple  in  itself,  there  then  appeared  a  proces- 
sion of  new  horrors,  called  arbitrary  characters,  —  the 
most  despotic  characters  I  have  ever  known,  —  who 


26  EXTRACTS. 

insisted,  for  instance,  that  a  thing  like  the  beginning  of 
a  cobweb  meant  expectation  ;  that  a  pen  and  ink  sky- 
rocket stood  for  disadvantageous.  When  I  had  fixed 
these  wretches  in  my  mind,  I  found  that  they  had  driven 
everything  else  out  of  it.  Then  beginning  again  I  forgot 
them  ;  while  I  was  picking  them  up  I  dropped  the  other 
fragments  of  the  s\ stern.  In  short,  it  was  almost  heart- 
breaking." 

But  the  triumph  came,  and  in  due  time  Mr.  Dickens 
found  himself  with  a  note-book  in  hand  and  a  pocket 
full  of  pencils,  as  the  representative  of  a  paper  called 
the  "  True  Sun." 

It  has  been  determined  that  about  two-thirds  of 
English  speech  is  made  up  of  simple  and  connecting 
words,  such  as  it,  to,  of,  for,  is,  we,  with,  they,  them, 
etc.,  which  maybe  abbreviated  in  the  same  manner  as 
we  abbreviate  common  names  or  titles :  Gen.  for 
General,  Col.  for  Colonel,  Capt.  for  Captain,  Geo.  for 
George,  Jas.  for  James,  etc.,  which  abbreviations  are  as 
readily  understood  as  though  the  full  words  were 
written.  —  Brow  He's  Phonographic  Monthly,  May,  1884. 


A    NEW    SYSTEM 


By    J.    S.    VERITY, 

MA&S. 


ENTERED  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1875,  (improved  1880)  by  J.  S.  VERITY, 
in  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


"  Phonography  is  a  Railroad  method  of  communicating  thought,  by 
reason  of  its  expedition  and  its  ease." — DR.  RAFFLES. 


"  Since    brevity  is  the  soul  of  wit,  and    tediousness    the   limbs    and 
outward  flourishes,  I  will  be  brief." — SHAKESPEARE. 


"  Let  the  system  of  written  signs  be  reduced  to  a  brevity,  corresponding 
to  that  of  spoken  sound,  and  there  is  no  reason  why  the  hand  should  not 
be  able  to  keep  up  with  the  voice,  and  a  man  write  as  fast  as  he  can  speak. 
And  this  is  what  Phonography  claims  to  do.  It  claims  to  have  analyzed 
our  language  into  its  elementary  sounds,  and  to  have  invented  a  mark  or 
character  for  each  sound.  The  character  is  so  brief  and  simple,  that  the 
hand  can  make  it  as  easily  and  rapidly  as  the  voice  can  utter  it;  and  thus 
the  labor  of  writing,  and  the  expense  of  writing  materials,  are  reduced 
many  fold." — HORACE  MANN. 


Spell    words    according  to   sound,    and    not  according   to 
English   orthography. 


LONG-HAND  ami  SHORT-HAND  contrasted. 


"In  the  letters  of  our  Long-hand  Alphabet  we  make  from  seven  to  three 
movements  of  the  pen  for  each  letter, — on  an  average  four.  About  one 
letter  in  five  is  silent  in  our  common  orthography. 

In  Short-hand  we  make  one  simple  stroke  for  each  simple  sound;  this 
saves  three-fourths  of  the  labor. 

We  omit  all  silent  letters  :  this  gives  us  a  farther  advantage.  The 
distance  passed  over  by  the  pen  is  vastly  less  by  Short-hand.  The  simple 
style  is  three  or  four  times  as  fast  as  Long-hand,  and  we  save  more  than 
nine-tenths  of  the  labor  of  writing." — D.  P.  LINDSLEY, 

Teacher  of  Shorthand. 


THE  A  D  VANTA  GES  OF  SHOR  T-IIA  XD. 


"  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  speak  of  the  peculiar  advantages  of  Short-hand. 
The  bare  mention  of  the  name  is  sufficient  to  suggest  manv,  even  in 
addition  to  thos'e  general  benefits  which  it  bestows  upon  all.  In  correspon- 
dence, in  literary  composition,  in  keeping  a  diary,  in  book-keeping, 
in  copying  letters,  in  making  memoranda,  in  sketching  lecture-  and 
sermons,  in  making  attracts  of  and  quotations  from  books  read;  for 
these  and  all  other  purposes  for  which  writing  is  available,  it  requires 
but  a  tithe  of  the  time,  labor  and  space  needed  in  the  use  of  Long-hand." 

— From  Pko»ography  mud  its  Uses. 


THE  ADVANTAGES    OF    OUR    SHORT -HAND 
ARE   AS    FOLLOWS: 

FIRST.     The  letters  move  on  a  straight  line  from  the  left  to  the  right 
hand,  like  Long-hand. 

SECOND.     The  letters  are  made  in  the  shortest,  easiest  and  best  forms 
for  writing. 

THIRD.     Those  letters  that  are  the  most  frequently  used  in  writing 
are  the  easiest  to  write. 

FOURTH.     Every   syllable   that    is   sounded,   can    be   written,   which 
makes  the  writing  easier  to  read. 


CHANGES    WHICH  OCCUR  IN  THE  FOLLOWING 
LETTERS: 

The  letter  A  in  the  middle  of  words  is  T. 

The  letter  D  in  the  middle  and  at  the  end  of  words  is  J. 

The  letter  N  with  a  hook  at  its  close  is  ING. 

The  word  We  in  the  middle  and  end  of  words  is  LT  or  LD. 


ADVICE  TO  LEARNERS. 


Commit  to  memory  all  the  Letters  of  the  Alphabet,  and  then  practice 
writing  and  re-writing  them,  until  you  can  write  them  correctly,  and  read 
them  well.  Then  begin  and  write  what  you  please. 


ALPHABET. 


A-  B-  O-         D-          E^  F 

Gu  H-  H  IN  K--  L- 

»"p 

DOUBLE  LETTERS. 


VA 

K^' 

W 

Wv 

FRc__ 

PRc-  PL^-  KR-- 

CHR~  CHL<-  NL^  MLn 

THR^-  WL^-  NR< — -          MR' 

The  above  double  letters  are  to  be  written  only  at  the  beginning  of 
words.  The  same  double  letters  are  made  in  the  middle  and  at  the  end 
of  words,  not  by  the  aid  of  a  hook  at  the  beginning  of  the  letters,  but  by 
the  aid  of  a  hook  at  the  end  of  the  next  preceding  letter, 

Thus  :         Baker  ^     -    ^  Writer  ^—5 ^ 

WORD    SIGNS. 

WE-                HEA                SHE"?  HOW/? 

AND-  CAN-  MAN^ THE- 

The  sign  tion,  at  the  end  of  words,  is  written  as  in  the  example 
in  nations. 

EXAMPLE: 
Hail  happy  day!          I  long  to       see 


All  nations  write  Phonography. 


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